Ken Harper

Ken Harper is an award-winning designer, professor, photojournalist and media educator. He has worked as a multimedia designer and producer for The Rocky Mountain News, MSNBC.com, New York Life, Bausch & Lomb and various nonprofit organizations including the United Nations, the Bahá’í Faith, The Electronic Intifada and Aidchild.

Currently, Harper is an associate professor and the first director of the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The Newhouse Center for Global Engagement is dedicated to bringing knowledge to the world through storytelling, collaboration and innovation. Harper’s role in the Center stems from his long history in working internationally and he is now sharing that passion by bringing the classroom into the world and the world into the classroom.

Since joining the faculty at Newhouse, Harper has focused his international efforts on empowering local storytellers through training, exchange and activism. He has had leadership roles in Together Liberia, New Narratives, Free Rodney and most recently EbolainLiberia.org, a partnership with the Liberian government on visualizing the Ebola outbreak.

Harper holds a master's degree from Ohio University's School of Visual Communication and an undergraduate degree in photojournalism from Western Kentucky University. Harper resides with his wife, Dara, and two super cool kids in Syracuse. He enjoys riding his motorcycle, eating Altoids and practicing yoga.